GB2432106A

GB2432106A - Non-splash stirring whilst frying pan

Info

Publication number: GB2432106A
Application number: GB0523100A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Sinclair Clarke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-11-14
Filing date: 2005-11-14
Publication date: 2007-05-16
Also published as: GB0523100D0

Abstract

A non-splash stirring whilst frying pan includes a pan 1 with a lid 2 through which is inserted a shaft 4, 10, the inner part of which 10 is free to rotate and is connected at the bottom in the inside of the frying pan to a number of stirring and turning blades 7 for stirring and turning the food inside, and at the top on the outside to a handle 5 which when turned rotates the blades. The outer shaft 4 encases the inner shaft and is connected by a number of teeth 17 to the inside thread of a knob 3 which when twisted raises the outer shaft and at the same time the inner shaft and blades. Teeth 19 on the inside of the lid fit into grooves 18 running vertically up the outer shaft to counteract rotational movement and permit it to move vertically upwards and downwards only. The lid of the frying pan also contains an attachment 12 which fits into the spout of the pan and comprises of a hole 14 in the top for venting pressure and an obstruction 27 before it blocking the trajectory in a straight line of anything from inside the pan to it, whilst leaving a small gap at the bottom, and a further obstruction 28 after the hole covering up the end of the spout.

Description

FRYING PAN

The invention relates to a frying pan of the type which consists of a recipient in which food may be cooked in varying quantities of oil over a heat source.

Such pans are well known, but suffer from the disadvantage that, due to the nature of the method of cooking by frying in oil, that oil and other liquids and particles from the food often splash out of the pan and onto the surfaces of the cooking area and even onto the person cooking, which may cause serious bums. Even when using a lid to cover the pan, the same oil and liquids may still splash out of it as before when the lid is inevitably lifted in order to stir or turn over the food, as must frequently be done during the frying process.

An object of this invention is to provide a frying pan which allows the food to be stirred or turned over whilst remaining completely covered, thus eliminating splashes of oil and liquid from the frying pan to the outside.

Accordingly, this invention provides a frying pan including a lid of transparent material suck as glass, so that the food may be viewed during the cooking process, with a stirring and turning and mechanism for stirring and turning the food over incorporated. The stirring and turning mechanism is operated from the outside of the lid, to make it stir and turn over the food on the inside in the frying pan, firstly by lowering the stirring and turning mechanism to the base of the frying pan and into the food, and then by turning a handle on the outside to make the stirring and turning mechanism rotate and so stir or turn over the food inside with its blades, which are the ultimate component of the mechanism. It is an important feature that the blades be able to be lowered to and raised from the base of the pan so that they are only in contact with it whilst stirring and turning the food, and therefore will not constantly receive excessive heat which would be transferred to the rest of the mechanism and the handle. The combined frying pan and lid unit also includes a spout, which is designed to allow pressure and excess vapour to escape whilst preventing splashes from oil and liquid from leaving the pan by means of a blocking and channelling system incorporated into the rim of the lid to form a part of the spout The frying pan must be made from a suitable metal for cooking purposes, and the blades of the stirring and turning mechanism are preferably made from metal as well for strength and preferably coated on their tips with a heat resistant plastic material that will not scratch or damage the frying pan's inside surface.

The pan's inside surface is also preferably coated by a non-stick material to improve performance, but this is not an essential element of the design. The handle of the stirring and turning mechanism may also be used to lift the lid, though an extra handle or handles may also be fitted, but however whether they are or not is not an essential element of this design. The rest of the stirring and turning mechanism may be made from plastic or metal, although except for the central shaft plastic is preferred to insulate against heat. The central hole of the lid may contain a metal washer and the outer rim and spout component of the lid are preferably made from metal also.

The first essential element for the frying pan is the stirring and turning mechanism, for which as an option variations of blades may be fitted such as one designed to turn over larger single items of food such as fillets of meat, as opposed to the blades primarily illustrated here which are more suitable for stirring a pan full of smaller pieces food, such as minced meat, stir-fried vegetables, or many sauces The other essential element is the splash-eliminating spout which eliminates splashing and also serves to lock the lid into position on the frying pan so that it does not move when the handle for the stirring and turning mechanism is being turned.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 shows a three-dimensional cut-away view of the whole frying pan.

FIGURE 2 shows a cross-sectional side view of the whole frying pan.

FIGURE 3 shows a cross-sectional top view of the whole frying pan.

FIGURE 4 shows a three-dimensional breakdown of all the component parts which form the lid and stirring and turning mechanism unit.

FIGURE 5 shows a bottom view of the outer shaft-sleeve used in the raising and lowering of the stirring and turning mechanism and its blades as explained below.

FIGURE 6 shows a bottom view of the bearing part of the knob for the mechanism as explained below.

FIGURE 7 shows a top view of the plate with holding teeth used to keep the outer haft from rotating but permitting it to move vertically as explained below.

FIGURE 8 shows a side view of the locking plate.

FIGURE 9 shows a cross-sectional side view of the whole stirring and turning mechanism and all its components.

FIGURE 10 shows a partly cross-sectional side view of the frying pan with the stirring and turning mechanism in the raised position.

FIGURE 11 shows a partly cross-sectional side view of the frying pan with the stirring and turning mechanism in the lowered active position.

FIGURE 12 shows a three dimensional view of the splash-eliminating spout unit with the lid part in position with the spout of the pan.

FIGURE 13 shows a cross-sectional side view of the splash-eliminating spout unit with the lid part in position with the spout of the pan.

FIGURE 14 shows a three-dimensional view of an optional blade attachment for the stirring and turning mechanism for turning over larger pieces of food.

FIGURE 15 shows a top view of the same optional blade attachment.

FIGURE 16 shows a side view of the same optional blade attachment.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 the frying pan comprises a pan I with a lid 2 in the centre of which is located a stirring and turning mechanism 3,4,5,6,7,8,10 for stirring and turning over the food being cooked inside the pan. The mechanism may be held in place in a ring 9 around the around the central hole, which the lid must have in its centre to accommodate the mechanism, in order to reinforce it. A raising and lowering knob 3 on the outside of the lid is twisted to raise and lower the rest of the mechanism. From a raised position when the food is not being stirred to when it is to be, the raising and lowering knob is twisted and the hub 6 from which protrude a number of blades 7 is lowered to the bottom of the pan, and to the food in it, via the outer shaft-sleeve 4. A handle 5 is turned to rotate the hub and blades, to which it is connected via a main shaft 10, thus stirring the food.

The frying pan also includes a splash-eliminating spout unit which is comprised of the spout II of the pan, and a splash eliminator 12 which is attached to the rim 13 of the lid The splash eliminator also comprises a small hole 14 to vent steam and pressure.

The frying pan also has a handle 15 as per normal by which it may be held whilst cooking, whilst the other hand is operating the stirring and turning mechanism, and for serving food.

The tips of the blades may additionally be capped by a non-scratching matenal 8 such as a heat-resistant plastic.

Figures 4 and 9 show the structure of the whole stirring and turning mechanism. As can be seen in both figures, the raising and lowering knob has a bore in its centre which takes the outer shaft sleeve with the main shaft inside. The bore of the raising and lowering knob is inlaid with a thread 16 that should be deep cut and of a steep gradient, such as of about 40 degrees from the horizontal, so as to raise the mechanism via the coupling described shortly as much as possible through the shortest turn of possible of the said knob. The outer shaft-sleeve has a small number of teeth 17, preferably two, protruding from it, for which an efficient design may be for them to be conical in shape to provide good meshing with thread of the bore of the raising and lowering knob whilst offering low resistance, though their shape is not essential to this invention. The outer shaft-sleeve is prevented from twisting around its centre and only allowed to move vertically upwards and downwards by having a number of groves 18 down its lower part which operates with the tooth and thread system of the raising and lowering knob, illustrated here as being two though their number is not essential to the invention, into which incide a corresponding number of holding-teeth 19 which are ultimately fixed in position to the lid of the frying pan. This means that the outer shaft-sleeve cannot twist or rotate in relation to the lid or the frying pan, as both of those are fixed in relation to each other also. Therefore, when the raising and lowering knob is twisted (anti-clockwise if the thread is orientated conventionally) the teeth of the outer shaft-sleeve will move up the vertically as they are moved along the course of the thread, meaning that the outer shaft-sleeve moves up vertically. In this way, the whole stirring and turning mechanism, apart from the raising and lowering knob and those parts which fix it and are fixed to the lid is raised. When the raising and lowering knob is twisted in the opposite direction (clockwise if the thread is orientated conventionally), the outer shaft-sleeve and the stirring and turning mechanism will be lowered. Figures 10 and 11 show the outer shaft-sleeve and stirring and turning mechanism in the raised and lowered positions, respectively, the raising and lowering knob having been twisted.

Figures 4 and 9 also show how the raising and lowering knob and the holding teeth may be fixed to the lid, though the way in which they are engineered to do so is not essential to the invention. Here, however, the knob moves around and is held by a bearing 20, which again is held into the knob by a bearing 20, which again is held in the knob by a flange 21. The bearing is held in position to the lid by washers 22 and 23, and the holding teeth are fixed in position to the lid by being part of a plate 24 which may have a number of pegs 25 which fit into corresponding holes 26 in the bottom of the bearing, or another part that is attached to the lid and allows for easy assemblage of the mechanism. These parts are represented in the Figures as being assembled via interlocking threads on each part, which would allow for the mechanism to be taken apart and reassembled if so desired for example to be cleaned, though the parts could also be joined by adhesive or other manners.

When the stirring and turning mechanism is in the lowered position it may be operated to stir and turn the food inside the pan. This is done by turning the handle 5, which is connected to the central shaft 10. The central shaft is allowed to rotate freely within the outer shaft-sleeve. The central shaft is connected at the bottom to a number of blades 7 which when the handle is turned, so stir and turn the food. The blades may be connected to the central shaft by a form of hub 6, though the design of this is not essential to the invention, Its advantage would be to allow for the blades to be detached from the central shaft and the rest of the stirring and turning mechanism and lid, in order to be cleaned or for other variations of blade to be attached for use with different foodstuffs, as in Figures 14, 15 and 16. The blades may also have a cap of non-scratching material such as a heat-resistant plastic, so as not to damage the bottom of the inside of the pan if it is to be coated with a non-stick material, though again the design of this is not essential to the invention.

As shown in Figure 3, the total length of all the blade edges must be equal to or more than the radius of the bottom of the frying pan, and must be distributed in distance from the hub or central point of rotation of the stirring and turning mechanism. This so that when the stirring and turning mechanism is turned through 360 degrees, the whole surface area of the bottom of the inside of the frying pan is covered by a movement of the blade edges, thus leaving no piece of food unstirred or unturned.

The splash-eliminating spout unit 12, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, protrudes from the rim of the lid 13 and fits inside the spout of the pan 11, thus locking the lid in a fixed position with the pan and preventing the lid from turning whilst either the raising and lowering knob is being twisted or the handle of the stirring and turning mechanism is being turned. The hole 14 in the top of the splash-eliminating spout allows pressure to escape from the frying pan whilst cooking. The inner wall 27 of the splash-eliminating spout covers almost completely except for a small gap at the bottom the entrance to the spout from the frying pan. Splashes are prevented in this way from reaching the hole of the splash-eliminating spout by its inner wall, as travelling in a straight line through the gap at the at the bottom of it they will reach far below it and only end up hitting the outer wall 28. Figure 13 shows the alignment of the inner and outer walls and the hole of the splash-eliminating spout in relation to the inside of the pan and its spout, showing that no particle of food or liquid travelling in a straight line from the inside of the frying pan will be able to leave the spout unit.

Figures 14, 15 and 16 show an optional version of the blades already attached to the end of the central shaft in place of those blades. This version carries only one blade, which covers the whole radius of the bottom of the pan, and is for turning over large pieces of food such as meat or fish fillets. It is twisted in shape so that when moved toward one piece of food, one part of the edge digs under the piece of food first, raising it up on that side more as the blade moves further in the same direction, and flipping it over.

The blade can be turned both clockwise and anti-clockwise toward pieces of food depending on whether they are nearer the edge or the centre of the bottom of the frying pan, as at either end it is twisted forward, each in the opposite direction of the other.

Claims

CLAIMS

I A frying pan with a lid in which is incorporated a mechanism for stimng and turning the food inside by protrusions which via a shaft may be raised, lowered, and rotated by operation from the outside, and including a spout which is covered by an attachment on the lid with obstructions inside before and behind its hole positioned in a way so that no straight trajectory may be made from the inside of the pan through the hole to the outside.

2. A frying pan as claimed in Claim I where the protrusions of the mechanism for stirring and turning include a series of blades arranged so that when rotated pass across the whole area of the bottom of the inside of the frying pan.

3. A frying pan as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 where the protrusions radiate from a central shaft which is connected to the outside of the lid of the frying pan.

4. A frying pan as claimed in any preceding claim where the protrusions for stirring and turning the food are rotated by a handle on the outside of the lid to which they are connected via a central shaft which runs through an outer shaft part to form the complete shaft and within which is allowed to rotate freely.

5. A frying pan as claimed in any preceding claim where the protrusions for stirring and turning the food are lowered by a knob operated from the outside which contains a screw thread to which the shaft part of the mechanism is linked via its outer part.

6. A frying pan as claimed in any preceding claim including a lid with an attachment that fits into the spout of the frying pan, which by consisting of a series of obstructions in the form of walls before and behind the hole through which pressure is released prevents splashes of liquids or solid particles from escaping the frying pan to the outside.

7. A frying pan as claimed in any preceding claim which is made from metal or plastics material or from a combination of these materials.

8. A frying pan substantially as herein described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 6.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows

CLAIMS

1 A frying pan with a lid in which is incorporated a mechanism for stirring and turning the food inside by protrusions inside radiating from a central shaft which is connected to a handle on the outside of the lid by which they are rotated, the central shaft running through an outer shaft within which it is allowed to rotate freely, but which by a knob also on the outside of the lid is raised and lowered sharing a screw-thread and tooth mechanism with the knob, thus raising and lowering the protrusions inside the pan.

2 A frying pan as claimed in Claim 1 where small protrusions on the inside of the lid fit into grooves running vertically up and down the outer shaft, preventing it from rotating and allowing itto be raised and lowered only 3 A frying pan as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 where the protrusions of the mechanism for stirring and turning Include a series of blades arranged so that when rotated pass across the whole area of the bottom of the inside of the frying pan.

4 A frying pan as claimed in any preceding claim including a lid with an attachment that fits into the spout of the frying pan, which by consisting of a series of obstacles in the form of walls before and behind the hole which is located at the top of the spout through which pressure is released, prevents splashes of liquids or solid particles from escaping the frying pan to the outside, the wall before the hole partially covering access to it except for a gap at the bottom leaving no straight line from the inside of the pan to the hole, and the wall after the hole completely closing oft the spout 5. A frying pan as claimed in any preceding claim, which includes a plastics matenal to prevent scratching attached to the blades of the protrusions for stirring and turning the food.

6 A frying pan as claimed in any preceding claim, which is made from metal or a plastics material or from a combination of these materials.

7 A frying pan substantially as herein described above and illustrated In the accompanying drawings